Hamster the mysterious animal is now living with us as a pet. Let’s find out the reality of our mysterious friend in this and the other three articles.
- The Misunderstanding And Truth About Hamster
- The Truths about the Every Day Myths about hamster
- Daily care and related diseases: The myths and truths about hamster
The spliced cage of the pipe cage simulates the underground life of hamsters very well, so it is recommended to use
Truth:
Hamsters build nests and sleep in underground systems, but they don’t live in them
Hamsters in nature build nests, sleep and store food in tunnels. Therefore, some merchants have proposed the concept of pipe cages, claiming that they can simulate the behavior of hamsters in nature and observe the behavior of hamsters. This sentence really can only be heard as an advertisement.
First of all, hamsters do build nests underground, but they are not moles, and they do not live in them 24 hours a day. They also spend a lot of time on the ground. The spliced cages cannot give the hamster enough space to move. What the hamster needs are a continuous and uninterrupted area.
Let’s talk about the simulated authentic life. What a hamster needs is not a given pipe, but enough litter to satisfy his desire to make holes, and create the underground system he needs according to his own mind and needs. An important reason why hamsters burrow is that the underground is safer and can avoid predators. However, these pipe cages are translucent or even completely transparent, light will easily shine into them, and people can easily see them, and the sense of security they obtain cannot be compared with real tunnels.
More and more breeders have discovered the potential hazards of this type of pipe cage. Not all pipes on the market are qualified. Many pipes are not wide enough to allow hamsters to pass normally (Syrian hamsters are not less than 5cm), which leads to accidents of hamsters getting stuck in the pipes. Even if the pipe is made of natural materials, you should pay attention to whether it is wide enough and there is no danger of jamming the hamster. The vertical length of some pipes is too long, and hamsters may be injured.
Therefore, you should not choose a cage with too long vertical height when buying a pipe cage. In addition, most of the pipe cages are made of plastic, and the air permeability is very poor. In addition, some pipes are not well air-permeable.
There have been many cases of hamsters fainting and even death in the cage due to insufficient oxygen. In addition, the pipes are very difficult to clean, and the plastic material is also difficult to maintain good sanitary conditions. Imagine that the original hamster’s urine is absorbed by litter, but there is no litter in the plastic pipe. This is no different from using a bare cage without litter, and sanitary conditions are difficult to guarantee.
Myth:
Setting a tall cage allows hamsters to play their climbing nature
Hamsters mainly live on flat ground and have no nature to climb
The natural living environment of hamsters determines that they mainly operate underground and on the ground, and they are not as good at climbing as mice. Although some hamsters will climb the height of the cage if they have the opportunity, it is actually very unsafe for them. The hamster does not need to fall too high and will be injured. Climbing may also be the hamster stuck in the gap. If you want the hamster to climb higher, you can also use climbing ladders, slopes, etc., instead of letting the hamster climb directly on the wire of the cage.
Misunderstanding:
The “release time” outside the cage can make up for the shortcomings of the cage
Truth:
A comfortable cage is very important to them, and it cannot be replaced by the time
There are 24 hours a day, and even if we can do it for 4-5 hours a day (most people can’t do it), it will only take up a small part of its life. This activity time is far from enough.
What we call “extension” may be the wishful thinking of human beings. If you often “release the wind”, what time do you choose? If it is daytime, the hamster is sleeping. If it is before 10:00 in the evening, the hamster may have not gotten up, or just got up and still eating breakfast without responding. The most active time for hamsters is about 3 in the morning, and many people have already fallen asleep. At this time, it is unrealistic to let go.
Imagine that when you are sleeping well, someone pulls you out of your comfortable nest and puts you in a place where there is no bedding, no shelter, no running wheels, or even water. What do you think of “playing” with food places? Hamster: Are you shoveling shit? ?
Misunderstanding:
The large hamster cage makes the hamster feel exposed to the open space, full of insecurity
The truth:
the landscaping such as litter and shelter is the key to the hamster’s sense of security, not the size of the cage
Some people object to giving hamsters a larger space, the important reason is that small cages will make hamsters more comfortable and safer. Someone observed that hamsters are scared, timid, and at a loss when they enter a large cage. But your hamster doesn’t have to be like this.
We can set up enough litter, shelter, pipes, and toys to make hamsters have enough places to hide, which is more in line with the habits of predators. Big cages always give hamsters more room to play and make hamsters happier than small cages.
Myth:
You don’t need a big cage after you have a running wheel for hamsters
Truth:
The running wheel and the area of the cage are not a substitute for each other
Assuming that the running wheel can really replace the large cage area, then as the cage area becomes larger, the running time should be less and less. But it seems that this is not the case: Fischer (2007) et al. found that the length of running wheel activity did not decrease as the cage area increased. But as the cage area becomes larger, the frequency of biting the cage does decrease.
It can be seen that there is no substitute for the larger cage area and the use of running wheels. Even if running wheels are provided, it is necessary to expand the area of the cage. The reason for this phenomenon has not yet been found, but it shows that the running wheel and area are very important to the healthy and happy hamsters.
My personal guess is that the improvement of the living area of hamsters can improve the living conditions of hamsters to a certain extent, but it is also limited to spreading the living facilities, such as the degree of separation of bathrooms, toilets, bedrooms, and play areas, but it is far from reaching Replace the degree of hamster activities in the wild (up to 20km distance).
Final Words
Reveal the mysteries of your well known friend. There are many mysteries that are as popular as lies. Don’t accept this as truth. Remain with us read with us find the truth about your hamster. Be sure to read all the four articles related to these issues.
